A man named Taylor Swift has opened up about what it’s really like to share a nickname with the pop sensation – from being bullied for it in high school to using it to boost his career as an adult.
Taylor, 30, from Washington, D.C., first heard about the singer, 34, when he was 15, and initially thought the fact that they had the same name wouldn’t “shock” him much since he had the impression that she would fade after a “hit song or two.”
How wrong I was.
Instead, the Cruel Summer singer became one of the most popular superstars in the world, and her growing popularity has had an immense influence on Taylor’s life.
He explained in a recent essay for Business Insider that having the same name as the musician has helped him enormously while working in the cutthroat world of politics; He noted that it serves as a great way to break the ice when he meets new people and helps him “stand out” and be “remembered” afterwards.
A man named Taylor Swift has opened up about what it’s really like to share a nickname with the pop sensation – from being bullied for it in high school to using it to boost his career.
Taylor, 30, from Washington, D.C., first heard about the singer, 34, when he was 15, and initially thought the fact that they had the same name wouldn’t “shock” him much.
But the Cruel Summer singer became one of the world’s best-known superstars, and her growing popularity has had an immense influence on Taylor’s life.
He explained in a recent essay for Business Insider that having the same name as the musician has helped him enormously while working in the cutthroat world of politics, as it acts as a great way to break the ice by meeting new people and ‘standing out’.
But the 30-year-old who lives in Washington, DC, admitted it hasn’t always been easy for him, as he was often the subject of mean jokes from his peers as a teenager.
“I was just a kid trying to live my life and now I shared a name with a great singer,” he recalled.
“Like most kids, I was trying to figure out who I wanted to be, but a couple of high school bullies and a choir teacher who made jokes about my name didn’t help.”
Taylor explained that she considered changing her name before going to college, but ultimately decided, after “a lot of self-realization,” to “go with it.”
“I remember thinking: I was given this name for a reason, and I’m going to grow up and become who I’m meant to be with it,” he continued.
‘Although my name appears in all social interactions, including my political career, I have decided to have fun with it and see it as an overall positive.
“I like my name and I think it has helped me more than it has hurt me, even at work.”
Taylor serves as deputy director of governance and innovation for the POPVOX Foundation, an organization that “promotes engagement and empowers citizens to participate effectively in the democratic process.”
Taylor serves as deputy director of governance and innovation for the POPVOX Foundation, an organization that “empowers citizens to effectively participate in the democratic process.”
“People remember (my name),” he shared. “When people remember my name, they also remember the ball I’m trying to push.” Taylor is seen with her boyfriend, Travis Kelce
He told the publication that having a unique nickname is an advantage because people never forget their name.
“As someone who works in the congressional advocacy space, where I help advocate for things like better wages, wage benefits, and technology, it helps to have a name like mine because people generally remember it,” he shared.
“When people remember my name, they also remember the ball I try to push forward, and that’s the important thing.”
Although he was embarrassed at first, Taylor loves participating in jokes about his name; in fact, he often encourages people to laugh about it and uses quotes from Taylor’s songs.
He revealed: ‘(I tell people), ‘Please feel free to make jokes, I’ll leave it out later,’ a reference to Taylor Swift. Then everyone laughs and feels more comfortable.
‘When I’m at work, I use other lyrical references, like, “I know this project has been difficult, but we’re not out of the woods yet.” and “I know, this mistake was my fault. I’m the problem. It’s me.”
Although he was embarrassed at first, Taylor now loves participating in jokes about his name; in fact, he often encourages people to laugh about it and uses quotes from Taylor’s songs.
He concluded: “I now believe that if my name is the biggest struggle I have in life, I’m doing it right.” It seems trivial to believe otherwise’
“Political work can be stressful, so if making a joke about my name makes someone laugh, smile or remember me, I do it.”
However, there are still some downsides, such as the ‘disappointment’ you have to endure every time you make dinner reservations in your name and they discover it’s not the singer when you arrive.
He also often worries that people might confuse him with the singer when doing interviews or promoting a cause, which is why he often asks that the press refer to him as Taylor J. Swift.
“This way, no one wonders why Taylor Swift (the singer) is talking about modernization and congressional oversight,” he joked.
In the end, however, Taylor didn’t want it any other way. He concluded: “I now believe that if my name is the biggest struggle I have in life, I am doing well.” It seems trivial to believe otherwise.